"Crunch—squelch!"
The moment Sekashi's teeth pierced the cool, slippery gelatinous substance, the plump and springy insect meat burst open in her mouth like the most succulent swamp leech.
"Huh?!"
This Moss Monster was far more delicious than she had imagined.
Plump and juicy, carrying the unique scent of the swamp.
Mmm... it tasted like happiness.
Sekashi felt as if she had forgotten all her troubles, transforming into a Slime happily bubbling away.
It was like returning to that midsummer in her memories, when she was still shorter than the wolf fang hanging from her father's waist, clumsily biting into a Moss Monster with both hands—the deliciousness brought by that plump insect meat remained unforgettable.
She became intoxicated, feeling warmth spreading through her body, even her wounds itching, brimming with vitality.
Sekashi immediately felt her face burning.
She understood the importance of food better than anyone, especially in the perilous swamp where food was like a second life for lizardfolk.
Look at what she had done.
She had actually eaten all the food reserves of the envoy.
She felt utterly ashamed and deeply embarrassed.
"How was it? Tasty?"
"If it's not enough, I can go hunt some more."
Chen Yu felt she hadn't eaten her fill yet, but it was normal for a young girl to be too shy to say so.
It wasn't easy to have a friend who could talk in the swamp, so he couldn't let her go hungry.
Sekashi quickly waved her hands.
"No, no need. I just feel bad about eating so much food..."
"Is it a lot?"
Chen Yu muttered to himself, estimating that this wasn't even half his daily food intake.
"It's fine. Moss Monsters are everywhere here."
"Eat them all today, and a new batch will grow tomorrow."
Under this oak tree was the Poison-stinger Wasp farm. Once the Moss Monster population decreased, his diligent neighbors would capture Moss Monsters from other places to raise here.
Couldn't finish eating them, simply couldn't finish.
If there weren't enough, he could just ask the Poison-stinger Wasps for more—after all, it didn't cost anything.
But recently, a group of beetles had come under the tree, seemingly intending to compete for food.
He planned to find some time to have a friendly exchange with these new neighbors.
Sekashi breathed a sigh of relief, but when she remembered that her lizardfolk tribe was still starving while she didn't have to worry about food in the swamp forest, a strange feeling welled up inside her.
Perhaps living in the swamp forest with the Slime wasn't a bad choice?
But...
Her gaze swept through the mist-shrouded forest.
They were already far from the Reed River bank. When night fell, some beasts with darkvision would emerge to hunt.
She needed to build a camp and shelter before darkness arrived.
Sekashi shared her thoughts with Chen Yu.
Chen Yu's soft body bounced, as if nodding.
"Better not go too far from here."
"Otherwise, if beasts come, I won't be able to reach you."
Although Sekashi didn't understand what "won't be able to reach" meant, she obediently nodded anyway. After resting for a while, she went to gather materials for building the camp.
Chen Yu also had things to do, quietly slipping into the water to observe the movements of the Poison-stinger Wasp nest and the beetle group.
He was gathering intelligence.
The Little Arrow Technique had astonishing power and sufficient range, but his skill level wasn't high enough, the activation time was long, and dealing with groups of magical creatures was somewhat troublesome.
He planned to devise a perfect attack plan and find an opportunity to eliminate them all at once.
Originally, Chen Yu had intended to slowly wear down the Poison-stinger Wasps.
But Sekashi's arrival gave him new ideas.
Perhaps becoming the Oak Lord wouldn't take so long.
Chen Yu stayed half-submerged in the swamp, occasionally bubbling. After watching for a long time, drowsiness washed over him, and he fell asleep in a daze.
When he woke again, it was already afternoon.
The door of the thatched cottage in Xu Xuan Heaven was knocked. Chen Yu woke from his nap, opened the door, and saw that Shao Qingsong had come.
"Senior Brother, please come in and sit. I'll go get the medicinal liquid."
Shao Qingsong waved his hand.
"Junior Brother, no need for formalities."
"Actually, my main purpose this time is to bid you farewell."
"Farewell? Are you leaving the sect?"
"Ahem..."
Shao Qingsong looked embarrassed.
"Junior Brother's imagination is quite fanciful, making it hard for senior brother to guess."
"Actually, I just plan to go out for some experience. Coincidentally, I heard about rare demonic creatures appearing in the outer forests of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave, so I plan to go check it out with some fellow disciples."
"If Junior Brother is interested, why not come with me?"
Chen Yu lacked interest and wasn't particularly interested in the Ten Thousand Poison Cave.
Shao Qingsong, however, was observant. Seeing his lack of interest, he changed the subject.
Before parting, Shao Qingsong said he would send a junior brother to trade with him daily in the Emerald Bamboo Forest. After some polite exchanges, his figure disappeared around the bamboo forest corner.
Chen Yu put the earlier conversation out of his mind. Feeling somewhat hungry, he cooked rice with pickled vegetables to fill his stomach, then immersed his consciousness back into the swamp forest.
A dark carapace emerged from the swamp as Chen Yu blinked awake.
His gaze searched for Sekashi's figure, finally settling on an oak tree not far away.
In just half a day, the previously messy ground of rotten leaves had been cleared, and a shelter covered with broad leaves had been built under the oak tree, with a pile of collected firewood beside it.
Sekashi was squatting in the middle of the camp, seemingly trying to start a fire.
Curious, Chen Yu swam ashore, hopped over to behind Sekashi, and gently bumped her tail.
"What are you doing?"
The sudden voice startled Sekashi. Turning around and seeing it was the familiar Slime, she relaxed.
"Starting a fire."
"The magical creatures at night are terrifying, but they fear flames."
"Magical creatures are afraid of fire too?"
Chen Yu had thought only beasts had an instinctive fear of fire, never imagining that even powerful magical creatures would fear it.
Sekashi was taken aback. She seemed to have never considered this question.
Do magical creatures fear fire? Of course they do.
But if asked why, she couldn't explain it.
"P-perhaps because fire's power is very conspicuous in the darkness, and magical creatures might mistake it for mana radiance..."
She said uncertainly, though this was just her wild guess.
Chen Yu watched from nearby, seeing Sekashi holding two angular stones and striking them together, sparks falling onto tree bark fiber.
But the forest was quite humid, making it not easy to start a fire—it wouldn't ignite with just one or two attempts.
After watching with great interest for a while, Chen Yu turned and returned to the tall oak tree to hunt Moss Monsters for dinner.
The glow of sunset fell, casting a twilight hue over the forest as it gradually returned to unsettling darkness.
Just then, sounds of Sekashi's exclamation came from the camp.
Because of the distance and without the Sound Transmission Technique, Chen Yu couldn't understand what she was saying at all.
Thinking it might be a beast attack, he hurried back.
But fortunately, it wasn't.
He floated in the swamp, looking up.
He saw firelight flickering in the darkness, filling the wrinkles of the oak bark, bringing strands of warmth to the surroundings.
The first spark of civilization in the swamp forest had been kindled.
It was also the first time Chen Yu had seen fire in the swamp forest.